China: Chen’s passport to be ready in 2 weeks

Beijing: China’s blind activist, Chen Guangcheng, on Thursday said officials have told him that he would be issued his passport within 15 days, permitting him to go to the United States.

Chen, 40, and his family have completed passport applications.

The activist who was at the centre of a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington told a news agency in a phone interview that he`s unsure whether he would be able to leave China soon after receiving a passport.

The blind activist has been under virtual house arrest for two weeks in a Beijing hospital following his dramatic escape from abusive officials in his home village. The US embassy sheltered him for six days, and he wants to travel to the US to study.

Chen says officials who brought paperwork for him and his family to fill out on Wednesday said the processing time for passports is up to 15 days.